Early bird gets the worm

Morning schooling bite key for leaders

ROGERS, Ark. – One look across the boat decks of the top anglers in the Wal-Mart Open on Beaver Lake this morning and one thing became clear: a schooling bite is in full effect.

Spinnerbaits, topwaters, wake baits, swimbaits, Flukes, Chatterbaits, swim jigs, Fish Head Spins and even marabou jigs – all in some color of white – adorned the fronts of the Ranger boats.

And while the top three pros agreed that their schooling bite was fast and furious first thing in the morning, they also admitted that they were grasping for straws after the morning bite ended.

“I don’t know what the heck I’m going to do after 9 o’ clock,” mumbled third place pro Andy Montgomery as he held a grub trailer loosely in his lips before impaling it on a Chatterbait.

Montgomery caught four bass in a matter of minutes yesterday morning but once the fish quit schooling, he went the rest of the day without a keeper bite.

Tournament leader Jay Yelas, who is sharing the schooling hole with Montgomery, also shares in his frustration.

“After those fish went down yesterday, I pulled my hair out trying to get them to bite,” Yelas said. “I spent two hours trying drop-shots, shaky heads, Carolina rigs, crankbaits – you name it – and I never figured them out.

“It’s so frustrating because I know there are so many fish in there – and they’re largemouths, so it’s not like they move back out to the main lake or anything – they just won’t eat after that morning feed.”

Berkley pro Glenn Browne has the opposite problem. Though he caught some topwater fish on day one, he caught all his fish in the afternoon yesterday.

“Shoot, my fish don’t bite until after 9 o clock,” quipped Browne, who is fishing submerged trees in 25 feet of water with a Berkley Wacky Crawler.

Browne’s comment piqued the interest of second place pro Andy Morgan who was lounging in the bow of his boat.

“Well good, about 9 o’ clock I’ll come hunt you up then,” joked Morgan. “You won’t mind a little company in your area will you Glenn?”

Schooling fish just might win the Wal-Mart Open this week, but as any angler who has flirted with the fires of schoolies knows, they can also burn you.

“Andy (Montgomery) and I are fishing the best spot on the lake, but I just don’t know how much longer it can support two boats,” Yelas portended. “I just wish I had something else going for later in the day.”

If their schooling fish bite dies, the man to watch over the next couple of days might be local angler JR Beehler of nearby Bella Vista, Ark. who is dialed in on Beaver’s deep water bite. He his catching both smallmouth and spotted bass from depths of 25 to 35 feet on tubes and grubs, a pattern that is likely to continue over the next two days.

The day three weigh-in of the top 10 pros and co-anglers begins at 4 p.m. at the John Q. Hammons Center located at 3303 Pinnacle Hills Parkway in Rogers. The free Family Fun Zone opens at noon and the public is welcome to attend.

Saturday’s conditions

Sunrise: 6:08 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 52 degrees

Expected high temperature: 75 degrees

Water temperature: 70-75 degrees

Forecasted winds: S 5 to 10

Day’s outlook: sunny